Pokemon RevengeLaw Breakers
by Torrence Tang
Summary: This fanfic is about what happens in the future of the anime show starring Ash


Encounters with the new Breed  
  
There is a saying that circumstances make man, so the environment makes the animals. It is so true all life on Earth are adapted to live in different ecosystems habitats. Like us they had adapt to an ever-changing planet or become part of the fossil record that are etched deeply on the Earth's face. Pokémon are one good example..  
  
Many things have changed the last time we saw our hero, Ash Ketchum. James and Jessie had fallen in love but when Ash informed the authorities, thwarting their Pokémon-stealing plans, a gunfight ensued, killing Jessie in the process. As a result, James has become vengeful freak and has sworn to kill Ash. Above all, Ash enrolled into the Psy Academy where psychic people and normal people learn how to use 100% of their brains using Psychic Pokémon!. Gary Oak, Ash's old rival, however was not able to get to the second year due to some reasons that he did not understand. Feeling that he had been treated unfairly, he left the Psy Academy.  
  
On a secret island surrounded by naturally salted waters, two helicopters arrived breaking the silence of tranquility. The mechanical monsters' winds caused the smaller Pokémon nearby to scurry away and the bigger ones awaking and "mooing" in hunger. As the two helicopters landed, rope ladders sprung out followed by a few humans.  
  
These people were wearing the same uniform bearing a 'T' and a mirrored 'R's. So they were from the notorious Team Rocket! They had changed their old symbol. Although most of the members were in uniform but there were others in neatly ironed laboratory suits.  
  
They went to look at the situation of the bovid Pokémon, Tauros and Miltank. They and their calves were famished, as they had been cut off from their supply of fresh 'greens' for two weeks.  
  
This island was one of the many places that have been assigned as Pokémon breeding grounds by Team Rocket. These breeding grounds ensure that Team Rocket will have a steady supply of Pokémon warriors to fuel their arsenal. Just 3 weeks ago, there was overpopulation of Tauros and Miltank. As a result, nearly half of the area that was once covered in grass has nearly been stripped clean. Obviously, the predators they assigned on the island were unable to maintain their prey numbers well. In order to save the available pastures, they put up electrical fencing to stop these bovids from doing any more destruction until they find a better solution.  
  
Then a mobile phone rang with one of the scientists answering it. " Alright kid, we have arrived on the island." The scientist, Dr. Namba, spoke. " How's the situation there, Dr. Namba? And please stop calling me a kid! I know just as much as you do." asked a teenager on the phone. " Sorry.err., the situation is close to critical! Many of the Tauros and Miltank calves have become scavenger food." " Damn.. Alright Prof. Namba! As soon the metal containers hit the ground, deactivate the electrical fencing! "  
  
The scientist turned his head toward the glowing fencing, which had bolts of electricity radiating from pole to pole. The other scientists were pressing remote controls and deactivating the fencings, turning the cyan hues of lights from the electricity into darkness.  
  
" Boom!" the two metal containers had touched the island's soil. As soon as the fencings were removed, a Tauros and Miltank stampede occurred. They munched hungrily on the grasses.  
  
Meanwhile at a newly built Team Rocket base, the mysterious teenager pressed several key activating a satellite transmission. The 6 meter x 8 meter computer screen flickered and showed the images of the two metal containers on the island. They needed that teenager's voice to activate the boxes. The teenager spoke into the microphones " Crocodylus!.. Mantidae!" The computer answered, "Acknowledged! Opening Containers 1 and 2!"  
  
Back on the island as the two helicopters and the people left the island, the two containers sprung open with 8 Feraligatrs, crocodile Pokémon, and 14 Scythers, mantis Pokémon, chasing after the herds of Tauros and Miltanks. They hunted down their prey and ate them hungrily, channeling proteins and nutrients to enrich their bodies for future use. These new predators were all pregnant! With plenty of food..er..beef around, all these 'new kids' will only have worry about to guarding their eggs from which their young will emerge. This island has become their new home.  
  
Meanwhile, 16 yr old Ash Ketchum had returned after his training with the Psy Academy. His dark blue cloak danced in the wind as the teenager skateboarded. His Pikachu was clinging on his back. Suddenly, Ash heard someone calling him causing him to stop.  
  
"Ash Ketchum, you must hurry to Indigo Plateau!" "Huh!" Ash exclaimed puzzlingly and asked, "Who are you?" "I am Mewtwo! My Future Sight has shown me that Team Rocket is about to siege Indigo Plateau. You must hurry." The voice rang again. Ash removed his hood that was covering his head. "Team Rocket has caused enough trouble for the last time!"  
  
Meanwhile the competitors on the arena in the Pokemon League fought with their Pokémon, oblivious to the danger in stall for them. All of a sudden, a Pokéballs with the Team Rocket emblem made its way into the arena. With a flash of bright light, a Cacnea emerged.  
  
The referee thought that the two trainers were playing foul until the Cacnea actually used Pin Missile to ward the trainers off. Then he realized that this Pokémon belong to neither of the two trainers. The referee and the two trainers made a quick exit. Simultaneously, a dark figure appeared.  
  
"He He." it was none other than James, a Team Rocket member who had been fighting with Ash for a long time. "Put your hands over your head!" ordered a policeman. "I beg to differ..!" James replied. An orange energy ball, which transformed into the shape of a fighting man, appeared at his leg. James then kicked the policeman. The kick was so strong that the policeman was flung onto a wall 11 feet away, killing him instantly. Simultaneously, the wall with the policeman crumbled down. All this happened in a fraction of a microsecond. "I have a bone to pick with the police so I will not surrender." James roared with a vengeance. "If I pick a bone, I would use it to hit you instead," yelled Ash as he stormed into the arena with a skateboarding somersault.  
  
When James saw Ash, the scenes of the poignant past overcame him, with anger and insanity. " Ash Ketchum!!? Raorrrrr! Jessie!!!" James howled in sorrow and hatred. After recovering from a relapse of insanity, James ordered Cacnea to battle it out with Ash. The spectators cheered for Ash, only to be silenced by the abrupt arrival of other Team Rocket members and their Super Clone Pokémon. Ash sent out Tauros to battle the rodent. The bull charged at Cacnea at great speed. Then the Cacnea was flung aside from the direct impact from Tauros's heavily built skull. "Hyper Beam attack!" Ash commanded.  
  
Cacnea was unable to battle after the Hyper Beam. "Don't rejoice too early, twerp." James reminded with a sinister grin. Suddenly James threw a wine bottle on the floor! It was a liquid that contained pieces of meat! Cacnea then used the Ingrain attack that causes a Grass-type Pokémon to extend its ground roots to drill into the ground or extend its cottony aerial roots and absorb nutrients to heal injuries. Since the arena was concrete, it seemed that Cacnea could only rely on its aerial roots so its total healing speed was slowed down. But Ash was wrong; the grounds root did not go for the ground this time, it went for the meaty liquid that James had provided. As Cacnea's roots extended from its mouth, its cottony aerial roots and ground roots did their job well as the two types of roots collected the water vapour in the air and the meaty liquids, restoring Cacnea's health.  
  
Ash was taken aback and commanded Tauros to fire its Hyper Beam again. Tauros needed time to charge up the beam and this gave Cacnea a window of opportunity to turn the tables! Suddenly, 17 balls of energy faded from oblivion and revolved around Cacnea. The balls' colors changed constantly according to the colors of the spectrum until it stopped at reddish orange. At once the balls transformed into a shape of men. Cacnea then waved its claw ordering the energy 'men' to pose go into Shaolin martial art positions.  
  
"My Pokémon have gone thorough intense training in the wild and they are much stronger than normal Pokémon." James sniggered. Finally, Tauros's Hyper Beam blasted out from the bull's mouth. In response to the attack, James ordered, " Hidden Power!" Cacnea waved its claw to propel the energy 'men' forward, breaking up the Hyper Beam. But Hidden Power does more than just breaking up beams, this attack can also cause damage to the opponent. The Pokémon element of this unique but powerful attack depended very much on luck. For Example, one instance the attack's element is Grass-type and on other it could be Fire-type.etc!  
  
This time it was Fighting-type. As the 'energy' men hit Tauros, it executed Fighting-type moves of the Shaolin martial arts. So Tauros being a Normal- type was weak against Fighting-type moves. Tauros fainted after getting a taste of the Mantis Fist, Crane Fist, Eagle Claw.etc  
  
Despite losing this round, Ash wasn't about to give in to Team Rocket anyway. " I don't care! Your unorthodox methods can never win over the friendship between a Pokémon and its trainer. Croconaw! I choose you!" Ash sent out his Croconaw, a crocodile Pokémon.  
  
The huge bipedal crocodile charged at Cacnea which tried to attack using Needle Arm. Then the cactus was whacked by the crocodile's tail. "Croconaw Dynamicpunch !" The reptile aimed its fist at Cacnea. Then, the cactus was uprooted 3 feet into the air and landed on the floor with a loud crash. "Cacnea return!" James got Cacnea back into its Pokéball. "Seviper, come out to avenge your mistress!" James released a Seviper from its Pokéball.  
  
This Seviper belonged to Jessie, James's dead fiancée. The rattlesnake now had the features of Super clone Pokémon. The rattlesnake opened up its infrared sensor pits on its snout, and hissed with a vengeance. It fired out a rain of toxic needles like a machine gun on Ash who evaded it. "Typhlosion I choose you!!" Ash called out his Typhlosion, a fire-breathing monotreme. Flames jutted out from its neck. Seviper opened its mouth and flashed out its 20cm long venomous fangs.  
  
Seviper was about sink these fangs into Typhlosion. But then the monotreme's breath turned into a ball of flames. "Fire Spin attack" Ash called out. Seviper was hit head on like a car accident victim; its head was scorched with third degree burns. "Let's see how strong is your friendship!" Thinking that James was taking out another Pokémon, Ash commanded Pikachu to get into the battlefield.  
  
He was wrong. James seized the opportunity to throw a black ring at the mustelid. "Pikachu!!" Ash cried out. "Ha ha.!! Let's see if your friend still obeys you. Go Pikachu and destroy Ash Ketchum!!" James laughed gleefully.  
  
Pikachu turned around to face his master, purged of emotions. There was a scent of evil around him too. The black ring was a mind-controlling device! "Now allow me to give you a taste of your own medicine. Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled in pain as his body was engulfed by electricity and slumped down on his knees.  
  
Suddenly, there was a disturbance not in the "Force" but in the air. The Super Clone Pokémon and their Team Rocket trainers were lifted up in the air. Mewtwo was nearby, using his Psychic powers from afar, allowing the innocent spectators to evacuate the stadium. Ash was weakened by the electrical attacks from Pikachu. " Do it again! " James commanded Pikachu. Pikachu blasted another jolt of lightning but it was reflected off a barrier that appeared in front of Ash. It was Ash's Xatu, a Psychic bird Pokémon. Xatu accompanied Ash during the days of the Psy Academy. After recovering from the shocks, Ash went forward to battle with James, personally with fists while a mind controlled Pikachu fought against Xatu.  
  
Because Xatu was a Flying-type Pokémon, it was weak to electric-types like Pikachu! But Xatu was faster than Pikachu since it could teleport from one spot to another. Xatu planned to keep dodging Pikachu's attacks to wear the mustelid out.  
  
Other than just using his brains effectively, Ash also joined martial arts club at the Psy Academy thus picking up some kung fu along the way. Thus, Ash fought with James who was able to dodge off any attack from Ash by leaping at astronomical heights and executing moves at astronomical speed and power. The forces of good and evil clashed continuously. "You will pay for Jessie's life!!" James roared. "As long as you are evil, you can't win. The forces of good will destroy your evil sooner or later." Ash scolded back. Unexpectedly, James kicked Ash, sending him crashing towards a wall with a loud bang. Ash tried to stand up properly with a bleeding mouth "Now lets see if the power of good is helping you."  
  
James charged at Ash at a speed no man had ever reached and was about to tackle him with a powerful blow. Suddenly, a thunderbolt stopped him in his tracks. It was Pikachu and it was exhausted from the earlier battle with Xatu which took the opportunity to smash the mind-control ring to pieces.  
  
"Put your hands over your head!" the policemen chorused. More policemen had arrived. " Get this in your head, twerp! This is only the beginning" As James "soared" into the air while the policemen and their Growlithes fired bullets and balls of flames continuously but none of them hit the flying man. In the intervening time, a mysterious man hid in a dark corner calling a number. "James, meet me at the decimated Viridian City Gym." An evil, malicious smile appeared on his face.  
  
Fall of James  
  
Ash had broken his left arm from the fight. His mother as usual, was at his side in the hospital. "Ash, why didn't you inform me that you are coming back? You should at least give me a call!" Ash's mother screamed at his son. "Sorry mom, I..", suddenly Prof. Oak came into the ward. His clothes were charred. "Delia, Pallet Town has been bombed. " "What! Oh." the middle age woman fainted.  
  
Next morning, the news on TV was frightening. Pallet Town, Ash's home, had turned from a peaceful town to a war-torn land. Meanwhile Ash sadly rested in the ward, unable to save his Town. "Pikachu, I am sorry, I was unable to save our home."  
  
Meanwhile, James came out from the shadows of a dark room and into the sunlight shining from a window. "Sir, I have bombed." James was about to report to his supervisor when the mysterious man threw fistful of ice at James who evaded the attack. It was no hailstone. It was a Pokémon attack called Ice Punch! "James, you idiot! How could you bomb Pallet Town! You could have killed my grandfather in the process!" The mysterious "man" turned around, it was Gary Oak, Ash's childhood rival and the dropout from the Psy Academy!  
  
"James, I knew that Ash Ketchum got your fiancée killed but you shouldn't be too impatient by bombing his home!" Gary scolded James. "Jessie won't rest in peace unless the twerp is destroyed!!" James argued back, plucking his cyan hair, his condition had relapsed again. Gary's anger dissipated and he comforted James. " Alright, alright stop it! " Gary coaxed him. James immediately took out his medicine for his insanity and swallowed it. Calmness came back to him once again.  
  
"James, this time I let you off. But next time you do anything, make sure you discuss it with me." Gary warned. "By the way, Sir, I want to know why Prof. Oak is so important?" James asked. "The old man's brain cells are packed with Pokémon data. We could use a scientist like him."  
  
" What if he doesn't cooperate?" James asked curiously. " That's alright. Our scientists have invented a Brain Hacker machine. It alters a person's or Pokémon's mind so he/she will become loyal to Team Rocket. Simultaneously, his knowledge is undamaged. It is very similar to brain washing." Gary then had an idea, "It would take a few weeks for Ash to recover fully. So I need you, James, to create panic in Pewter City. "  
  
" Yes Sir..! I won't fail you again!" James replied obediently.  
  
For weeks the people of Pallet Town helped to restore their home. The town folks, Prof. Oak and the Government helped one another. Ash could help much because of his arm but he gave his town mates mental support.  
  
They got their town back in one piece after weeks of hard work. Ash also recovered from his injury.  
  
Meanwhile at the Ketchum residence, "Mom, I want to go to." Ash was about to ask his mother when she interrupted him. "Young man, you may go anywhere on one condition: MAKE SURE YOU DON'T GET HURT AGAIN!! I DON'T HAVE SO MUCH MONEY TO FOOT THE MEDICAL BILLS!" Gentle reminders turned into blaring screams.  
  
"Ashy Boy" a crooning voice was heard at the window. Ash shivered because it was none other than Casey, a girl whom he met during his adventures in the Johto region. She used to be a baseball fan but now, the fourteen-year-old girl had developed a huge crush on the handsome teenager!  
  
Mrs. Ketchum was about to open the door when Ash stopped her. "Mom!! Please don't open the door to her! I promise I will take care of myself from now on!! Please!!" "Oh come on she is not a Growlithe. She won't bite." Mrs Ketchum assured. Casey made a "flying kiss " to a petrified Ash who sprinted for his bedroom as his mother opened the door to Casey.  
  
"Young Man, Please be polite to our guest here." Mrs Ketchum knocked the door of Ash's room. Ash thought, "How I wished I knew the Withdraw Attack." Pikachu sensed his master's thoughts; Casey was here. Then a brainwave struck Ash. Then a few minutes later when Mrs Ketchum unlocked Ash's room but the boy had disappeared!! He had jumped out of his bedroom window to escape. "Owww!! That's was quite a plan.a painful one too. " Ash had some spikes of his mother's cactus in his buttocks.  
  
Ash called up his mother on his cell phone. She raved at his insolence to Casey earlier on. Ash explained himself about all her harassing from until.. two hands covered Ash's eyes. "Casey!? Please behave yourself!" Ash moaned. "Let's see red hair and a bike debt, who does it remind you of?" the girl spoke. It was Misty, the Cerulean City Gym Leader, who followed Ash Ketchum in his adventures from Pallet Town to the Johto regions. She certainly had matured and grown prettier than before.  
  
The two teenagers sat down at a nearby café for a drink. "Are you ok, Ash!! You look sick." She asked. "Thanks to Casey, she's got a crush on me!!" Ash whined. "Oh Ash, you are such a nerd." Misty remarked as she sipped her soda from her cup. "What do you mean?!" Ash blurted out after choking on his soft drink. "It means that you know nothing about love!" Misty replied. "Please, the only love I know is motherly love from my mom, ok" Ash argued. "Excuse me!! I need to get home." Ash left abruptly as he did not want to talk about it. A few minutes after he left, "Casey!!" Misty called out to the fourteen-year-old girl. The girls chatted with laughter. A few seats away, Gary wearing a hood over his head, smiled maliciously.  
  
Ash was on the way back home when "Pika!!" Pikachu jumped out of its Pokéball. "Pikachu!!?" Ash exclaimed Pikachu. Pikachu's ears were twitching; a sign that something was wrong. When Ash looked up he saw smoke billowing over Pewter City nearby. It was a sign that evil schemes have been put to action! Ash quickly contacted Prof. Oak to withdraw and deposit some of his Pokémon.  
  
Meanwhile outside Pewter City Gym, "Steelix!! No!!" shouted the Pewter City Gym leader, Brock. His Steelix just lost a battle to Meowth, a Pokémon partner of James and Jessie. He was the only known Pokémon that could speak human language. "Do think that Team Rocket will always be beaten so easily. Team Rocket is blasting off no more!" Meowth spoke. The feline had undergone intense training. As a result, his power, defense and speed had increased tremendously. "Forretress, Rollout attack!" Brock sent out his Forretress, a clam shaped insect, to fight Meowth. "I think not!!" Meowth sent it flying with a Headbutt attack. "Well done, old friend." James walked in with triumph. "I think I have won more than just a badge." James snickered.  
  
"Bye!" James leaped into the air and was about to execute his kick of death on Brock. Suddenly a barrier appeared in front of Brock blocking James's attack. Ash and Xatu had arrived just in time to stop him. "Brave but foolish!!" James remarked. "We'll see!" Ash replied. He unleashed all of his Pokémon, Pikachu, Croconaw, Xatu, Swellow, Sceptile, and ordered them to attack Meowth. Brock, on the other hand, went to call for help. Meowth used all of his attacks he knew: Headbutt, Crunch, Fury Swipes and the deadly Hyper Beam. Ash's Pokémon were defeated and injured.  
  
Ash's mind was sandwiched between the battle with James and his injured Pokémon. In a moment's folly, James pushed Ash to the ground and was about to use that super kick on him. Suddenly, a young girl tried to defend Ash and got kicked instead. It was Casey! Her limp body was sent flying to the wall of the gym. "No!!" Ash cried out as Casey fell to the ground unconscious. "Now you understand how it feels to lose the one you loved. " James spoke "What's the use of joining Team Rocket, James? " Ash asked. "Has it given you anything throughout your life."  
  
James answered proudly, "We were once people who were being despised and bullied upon just because we were not as good as the normal people. We flunked our exams, lost every Pokémon battle, born mentally and physically deformed. The world is bent on wiping us out by depriving us of opportunities to prove ourselves. Team Rocket is here to show that we are winners too! We are going to change this terrible world into the perfect world where no one will be left behind just because they are weak or different."  
  
James continued, "Take me for example, Twerp! I was a failure in my studies despite going into the best Pokémon School. I was so stressed out that I ran away from home. Jessie too was spitted out by society too. We had no friends except each other and old Meowth. YOU, Ash Ketchum. caused my fiancée's death."  
  
Two years ago, before Ash graduated from the Psy Academy. James proposed to Jessie and she agreed. So James decided to steal a rare Pokémon to their boss in exchange for a salary raise to buy a wedding gift to her. Ash however discovered James's plan and thwarted it by calling the cops. James and Jessie fought with the cops with all their artillery, which was normally used for stealing Pokémon.  
  
Jessie was killed during the gunfire between themselves and the police. James on the other hand went insane and was sent to an asylum but Team Rocket rescued him out and helped him regain most of his sanity.  
  
Suddenly, Ash and all his Pokémon were energized by a wave of energy from within. "The world doesn't need to change but you do!!" Ash roared. Miraculously, his body was glowing white. With renewed strength and vigor, Ash Ketchum fought with James again. This time he was a lot faster and stronger.  
  
With that new power, Ash's Pokémon concentrated their attacks on Meowth. Unable to take their blow of the attacks, Meowth was blown away by the force of the combined attacks.  
  
Ash was now as powerful as James Ash punched James's abdomen repeatedly until he was sent flying towards the ceiling and crashing down again. James had broken every bone in his body as a result. With his final breath, James warned Ash "Twerp!! Just... you wait! Team.. Rocket will take.... over the world....!!" Meowth struggled to stand up. "You have killed my friend, I shall destroy you all when I.raooorrrr!!!" Meowth was filled with rage when suddenly Meowth's twin canines became one and a half times as long as before. His purr turned into a snarl of a puma. Meowth evolved into a shorthaired Persian, a short-haired species of the longhaired Persian cat.  
  
However, Meowth had been injured before evolution so he could not fight. "I shall return. " Winds became stronger than ever as a beam of red light sucked up Meowth into a Pokéball held by a Team Rocket minion on a helicopter. When the winds stop, there was death silence.  
  
Murder  
  
In amidst the darkness of the night, Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket, walked over to James's coffin in a deserted field. His underlings were silent as all the Team Rocket members paused for James, who was misunderstood for being incompetent but he had shown what true loyalty really was.  
  
The mourning was brief yet solemn as James's coffin descended into the heart of the earth where he shall rest for eternity, beside his fiancée's grave. Giovanni for the first time admired James for his courage and the way he stood up against his oppressors. "To think that he was the most incompetent Team Rocket member! Yet he held on firmly to Team Rocket beliefs. James, I have misjudged you." Giovanni thought. "He was a good apprentice. " said another voice. It was Gary. "Now only I can stop Ash." Gary continued. "I believed that you knew Ash Ketchum well, right? " Giovanni asked. "Far from just knowing, sir!! We were enemies right from the start!! " Gary replied.  
  
Before Gary could leave, Giovanni stopped him. " Hold your horses there, Gary. I can't afford to lose you in a time like this. I would like you to stand down for the moment and impart those skills to a group of Team Rocket rookies. " Gary took the list of trainees from his boss.  
  
"Those skills, unleashing your brain's full potential and literally borrowing Pokémon attacks are a vital asset to the Team, Gary. We need more people with that knowledge around so just in case if. you were to fall like James. We can still make use of it. Do you understand?" Gary pondered for a while and answered, " I get you, sir.. So in that case, I'll make a move now."  
  
As Gary walked out of Giovanni's office, his footsteps echoed across a marbled hallway leading to the exit. Simultaneously, a teenage girl about fifteen years old was trotting on the same hallway. In a moment's folly, Gary stepped on her toes. " Ouch! Watch where you're steppin'!"  
  
Gary was somehow made to pause and stare blankly at the girl whose spaghetti trap blouse has one string falling off, revealing her smooth, silky right shoulder but he awoke immediately. A slap was about to come at Gary but the teenage boy evaded the attack, saving him from getting half a red face. " If you're a man, don't dodge my slap!" She yelled. Gary was 2 meters away from the girl and answered "Ha! If I am a man, why should I listen to you? By the way, you should have worn more clothes, you are lucky that I am no pervert."  
  
" You.you are not a pervert but you are a molester!" the girl scolded in her high-pitched voice. " Hey! I am wearing gloves here. It doesn't count!" Gary taunted " Grrrrr. !" the girl took out a stick the length of a ruler and it extended to a length of 1.5 metres. It had a harpoon on one end. She leaped at Gary and tried to slash him.  
  
Gary however evaded her relentless attacks by moving his body in bizarre ways that no human acrobat has ever tried or achieved. As a final blow, she threw her weapon at Gary. However he dodged at the fast weapon by bending his legs at an angle of 90 with his body lying down flat in mid-air! As the harpoon flew over, Gary borrowed his Pokémon's attack and disappeared on the spot.  
  
Like a child, she stamped her feet in frustration.  
  
Meanwhile at the hospital, Casey was lying unconscious on the bed. Ash meanwhile sat near her feeling sorry for her, his fists were clenched with guilt. The girl suddenly came to. "Oww.." She groaned. "Careful.. I just want to say I am sorry." Casey actually defended Ash on her own accord and spoke "Ash, I forgive." Suddenly a rock hard fist interrupted their conversation. It was Casey's father. Ash blocked the man's punch with his palm. Then a second one went for his belly. The pain from the punch was far beyond what Ash could tolerate; he slumped down on the floor. "How dare you get my daughter into this state!" the enraged man roared. Ash quickly ran out before the man could bash him to death.  
  
Casey's father followed Ash, grabbed him and tried to punch him again. Ash countered his fist with the same palm he used just now. Ash explained, "Mr. Ding, please calm down, I didn't do it. " "Dad! It wasn't Ash who wounded me." Casey explained. Mr. Ding's grip on Ash loosened slowly. "Among all the people I have met, you are the first person to be able to block my punches." Mr. Ding commended. Suddenly Ash heard Sabrina, his teacher, calling him telepathically.  
  
"Excuse me, I got something to attend to." Ash walked away.  
  
Outside the hospital, Ash followed his feelings and soon saw his lecturer, Mr. Psy on a rock. " Ash just who is that man whom you just fought earlier?" Mr. Psy asked. "Who? James?! Well as far as my memory goes, he is the lowest ranking member of Team Rocket. He and his accomplice, Jessie, have been harassing Pikachu and me for nearly 4 years now. " Ash replied. " I see, you do know him." said Mr. Psy. " And he was the very same guy who stole a rare and valuable Pokémon in Saffron City a year ago, remember, Mr. Psy." Ash continued.  
  
" Then what's the problem, sir?" Ash asked. " I have noticed the way how James fought with you, Ash, and I surprised by the fact that he was able to defeat you so easily in the first attempt." " Well, I underestimated his power at first so I lost to him. But what's up with him?" Ash asked. Mr. Psy answered " As a Psychokinetic person, I was able to see that he was using nearly 100% of his brain without using any psychic Pokémon! How did he do it?? I am not sure." Ash was puzzled but he knew that James's Cacnea was a clue to the mystery. "But who would teach James how to use 100% of one's brains? Could there be a traitor in the Psy Academy?" " The academy is not a country that you pledge loyalty to, Ash. So whether there are traitors or loyal subjects in the school, it does not really matter." Mr. Psy suggested  
  
"It doesn't?" Ash exclaimed, " But what if the traitor is so evil that he or she is using their brain's full potential to do evil?" " You have a point there. Using 100% of your brains can help a person to remember better, calculate better and blah, blah, blah! But whether that person is using it for good or evil, will depend very much on him. We are powerless against a person's will."  
  
" So we have contact our seniors, the fresh graduates as well and perhaps the dropouts and question them." Suggested Ash. " No, that's not a good idea, if we question them openly like that, even if the traitor is there. He or she will not admit their misdeeds. It will only make matters worse." Mr. Psy added.  
  
Meanwhile in the depth of the night, Mrs Ketchum was waiting impatiently for her son. "That boy is going to be the death of me." She grumbled and waited impatiently. A mysterious figure smiled maliciously as he focused his night vision binoculars on Ash's house. Cicadas chirped and click beetles clicked in the rhythm. "Shirrrpp! " a strange chirp was heard. Mrs Ketchum got the creeps and started to tremble. All of a sudden, a shadow shattered the windows and knocked Mrs Ketchum off her feet. A cloaked figure emerged from her behind. It was a cicada Pokémon, Ninjask. Simultaneously another Pokémon, a Shedinja, appeared from the fog. Shedinjas were discarded exoskeletons of Ninjasks during their molting stage.  
  
The insects flashed out their sharp proboscises, preparing to suck out Mrs Ketchum's blood. The woman took her broom and hit the cicadas. It hit Ninjask's head, causing the cicada to squeal in pain. Shedinja on the other hand, was a ghost type so the spade just when right through its body. The ghost Pokémon pierced its proboscis into the woman's neck. Mrs Ketchum struggled frantically and finally she was too weak to move. Then the Ninjask finished her off with a Fury Cutter attack.  
  
Misfortunes never come singly. First was the devastating news of Mrs. Ketchum's death. Next, Ash was now a murder suspect as several witnesses had claimed that they had seen Ash that night. Ash was pent up with anger and sorrow, the questioning from the authorities made it worse. "Every time you asked the same question and I will forever give you the same answer. I didn't kill my mother!" Ash shouted and banged the table with his fist. The policemen however seemed certain that Ash was the murderer and persistently asked him, depriving him of food and water for hours.  
  
"May I cut in?" said a familiar voice. "Mr. Psy!" Ash exclaimed. "Edward, if you misbehave again just like you did ten years ago, I will arrest you. " the sergeant warned sternly. Suddenly, an invisible tight grip held the sergeant's neck firmly. "If you can pressurize my apprentice to desperation, I can drive you bonkers, Raye." The sergeant gasped after being released from the wrath of the Psychokinetic man " I can testify for my apprentice's innocence. I was with him outside the Pewter City Hospital, teaching him something new when his mother was murdered. "  
  
The sergeant purposely wanted to make things difficult. Suddenly, a telephone rang. Sergeant Raye went to answer it. "What? I see." After hanging up the phone, Sergeant Raye spoke, "The analysis is finished. You have been proven innocent!" Ash stood up and asked Sergeant Raye "How did my mother die?"  
  
Sergeant Raye answered "Sigh! There were specks of hair and pieces of insect exoskeletons on your mother's body. The DNA analysis revealed that these belong to the cicada Pokémon, Ninjask and Shedinja. These Pokemon probably attacked and killed her."  
  
Ash's house was now cloaked in loneliness even with Pikachu and Xatu by his side. "Ash, are you alright?" Casey asked Ash from the window still. "Get out, parasite!" Ash uttered. " What did you said?" Casey asked between the sobs. "I said get out you parasite!" Casey was fuming mad and said "Fine!! If you don't care anymore then neither do I, hmp!!!" Ash wanted to apologize but his anger and sorrow held him down. Suddenly, Professor Oak knocked at the door. Ash sensed his mentor's presence and opened the door to him. The two men, young and old, talked for hours. It was never easy for anyone to lose a loved one; especially the only relative in the world. Like a spring of water running down a parched throat, Prof. Oak's words slowly enlightened Ash.  
  
Meanwhile at Saffron City Gym, home of the Psy Academy, a junior disciple, John Stag, was leaving the clan for good. "Staggy, we'll miss you after your departure. Why can't you stay?" asked Sandra, a junior disciple of the Psy Academy. "I have my reasons, SanDra but I don't wish to tell." "In that case, let's respect his decisions. John, may the Future Sight guide your way.." Sabrina and her clan bid their fellow friend farewell.  
  
Meanwhile Casey was crying and running into the wilderness because of Ash's harsh words. "How could he said that?!" Casey cried, hugging her knees. Casey suddenly heard something. Someone was comforting her with assuring words. Casey asked the mysterious voice "Who are you?" Out of the blue, a strong hand grabbed her and took her away. Evil laughter echoed across the field muffling Casey's cries for help.  
  
Later, Ash who had just snapped out his self-pity and went to look for Casey. "Casey!! Please come out! I, pant! , am really sorry! Please come out, Casey. " At first the field was silent. Ash felt that something was amiss. "Ash Ketchum, you are such a lady-killer!" said a mysterious voice. "Who are you?" asked Ash. " One must pay for one's actions. I want you to meet me at 6:00 pm at the haunted tower in Lavender Town. Bring only yourself, Ash Ketchum! Make sure no one's with you! Fwa ha ha!"  
  
As quickly as possible, Ash took the train set for Lavender Town. Ash looked the setting sun with guilt. He regretted that he had told off Casey like that earlier. His watch ticked silently inducing more nervousness to set in. "Next Stop: Saffron City!" an announcement interrupted his thoughts. As Ash was thinking, someone was reading his thoughts.  
  
The Stag Beetle of Darkness  
  
Ash arrived at the Haunted Tower at 5:50 pm sharp. The sun had hardly set and a paranormal air had already shrouded the tower. Ash got his Typhlosion to light up the place.  
  
This was the second time Ash visited the tower but some things had changed: he was no longer afraid of ghost Pokémon unlike his first time. The room was lit with a yellow/orange hue from his Pokémon. There were cobwebs and a queer rotting smell permeating the rooms. The traces of his last visit were still there, including the hole in the first floor made by James and Jessie 4 years ago. Despite the spine-tingling environment, he walked on as normal, looking for his friend. He stormed into every room, looking for Casey. Finally he got into a dark dining room. Ash found Casey tied up in ropes. "Ash!? Ash! Don't come here it's a trap!" Casey warned when she saw Ash. "A what?" Ash asked. Suddenly a boy holding a couple of blades in his right hand flew down from the ceiling.  
  
The red menacing metal blades were shaped like a stag beetle's antlers. "I have been waiting for you, Ash Ketchum. We meet at last as mortal enemies!" Ash recognized his opponent as his junior, John Stag. "John, why are you doing this?" Ash asked. "Correction, my real name is Kuwagarr Megahorn and why am I doing this? Because you killed my uncle!" John answered back. His cyan-colored hair danced with his rage. Ash was surprised by the fact that John was a blood relative of James. Kuwagarr purposely tried to make his opponent angry so he revealed, "My uncle's ghost is a vengeful one. To put him to rest, I gave him your mother's soul. "  
  
Ash's mood swung from astonishment to rage and he fell for Kuwagarr's ploy. Ash punched Kuwagarr.  
  
The duel between Ash and Kuwagarr intensified with time, destroying the table in the dining room. Suddenly Ash was caught between the two blades of Kuwagarr's sword. "Looks like this contest cannot be judged by our skills of the sword, but by the power of our Pokémon." Kuwagarr sent out his Pokémon, Ninjask and Shedinja. Ash sent out Pikachu and Xatu. A 2 VS 2 Pokémon battle ensued. Pikachu used his Thundershock attack on the Ninjask who evaded it. Simultaneously, Xatu tried to peck Shedinja who also dodged the bird's beak. Xatu and Shedinja then battled each other using their speed, with the ghost as the loser in the end. Ninjask used its Fury Cutter on Pikachu but it missed and slashed up the table to smithereens. "Leech Life!" Kuwagarr ordered Ninjask. The cicada extended its proboscis and pierced it into Pikachu's body. "Screeeeeeech..!" Ninjask fainted into electrical paralysis.  
  
"Stop this senseless fighting, you two!" a voice rang. It was Xanatos Gammus, a graduate of the Psy Academy! Ash explained, "Xanatos, John's uncle was a Team Rocket member and he is speaking up for him?" "Then do you know why my uncle joined Team Rocket? " Ash interrupted before he could answer, "There's no reason to be a criminal. Life is a choice! " "Choices? Ha! My uncle wasn't given any choices throughout his entire life. His parents didn't give him any freedom to choose at all. Joining Team Rocket was the right decision for my uncle. He had tasted freedom and from it, learned independence. My uncle even could make his own decisions unless if they were instructions from the Boss. He also found true love in Team Rocket. If not for you!" Kuwagarr explained.  
  
"Your uncle is not you. Kuwagarr! James is James. You are what you are. You live your own life not your uncle's. James's philosophy of life cannot be applied to your life." Xanatos tried to knock some sense into the vengeful kid. The young man's words were hundreds of times as powerful as a fist thrown at one's head. It was truly a wake up call for Kuwagarr Megahorn. The evil in his eyes dissipated along with his rolling tears.  
  
Suddenly the floor cracked open and gave way. Kuwagarr fell right through the hole in the floor. Xanatos ran forward to grab his hand but at the same time he sensed a powerful Psychic force holding the frail boy inside the hole. A wave of Psychic energy hit Xanatos in the head, loosening his grip on Kuwagarr's hand.  
  
Like a frail puppet in the wind, Kuwagarr was swept away by the Psychic winds and fell to his death at the basement of the tower. Ash freed Casey who hugged the teenage boy tightly. "Serves him right!" Ash blared with anger. Ash's mother has been avenged.  
  
On the top of the Haunted Tower, Stood an angry Gary Oak for his plans had been foiled again. "Ash Ketchum, you have may defeated me at the Silver Tournament but beware, I will defeat you. Just you wait!" Death was only the beginning! 


End file.
